Where The Newspaper Stands

May 08, 2002

On the move

Does Norfolk have to be the seat of justice?

The decision by the U.S. District Court for Eastern Virginia to consolidate operations in Norfolk isn't good news for the Peninsula. Moving staff out of the Newport News courthouse means more treks to Norfolk to get search and arrest warrants -- which could cause delays and burden law enforcement personnel who are already stretched thin. It means they, along with attorneys, defendants and witnesses, will more often have to travel to Norfolk for arraignments, detention hearings and pre-trial hearings. And when lawyers travel, those who hire them -- by the hour -- pay for the time spent on the road.

The move will make life more convenient for the court -- and convenience matters if the court is to stay on top of its heavy caseload.

Under the current system, two magistrate judges are assigned full time to the Norfolk division, which serves south Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore, and one is dedicated full time to the Newport News division, which serves this side of the water up to Williamsburg and out to Mathews County. By assigning all three to cover cases in both divisions, the court can distribute the workload more evenly, without having to worry about geography.

But it won't be so convenient for people on this side of Hampton Roads who are involved in federal litigation.

The court's five judges are based in Norfolk, although they come to Newport News for some trials. The lower-level magistrate judges -- who handle steps leading up to trial, issuing warrants and presiding at arraignments and hearings -- do a lot of the groundwork of litigation. They also conduct trials in civil and misdemeanor cases. Under the new plan, they'll journey to the Peninsula on a rotating basis to handle misdemeanors, grand juries and bankruptcies. If they're here only part of the day, law enforcement personnel who need a warrant after the judge goes back to Norfolk will face a trip through the tunnel.

Part of the court's rationale for moving the magistrate and five clerks out of Newport News is that the 25th Street courthouse is deteriorating and doesn't meet the court's needs. It's too small and too hard to secure, and it has just one elevator and jury room, a small lock-up cell and no witness room.

There's scuttlebutt, too, that some judges object to driving to Newport News.

Building and maintaining federal courthouses is a federal responsibility, and protecting the interests of the Peninsula will require the involvement of our congressional delegation.

Here's a solution to consider: a modern courthouse, perhaps in Oyster Point, which would be more convenient than downtown Newport News to the growing number of people in the outlying parts of our area. Moving more court functions to Newport News could help reduce the pressure on the already-crowded Norfolk courthouse. With a decent courthouse, the next step might be to lobby for a district judge based on this side, so more cases could be heard on the Peninsula.

Jazz at CNU

Ella fest success prepares fans for arts center

The city of Newport News' $100,000 investment in the Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Festival at Christopher Newport University promises big benefits in a few years.

Just consider last week's payoff:

On four nights there were three sellouts and one near sellout inside the 400-seat Gaines Theatre. On the first night parents came to applaud their children in the Tabb High School Jazz Choir and the CNU Jazz and Vocal Jazz ensembles.

At the Friday sellout, pianist McCoy Tyner was called back for an encore.

After he played Duke Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone," more than 400 fans stood and applauded heartily, begging for a double encore. Tyner, 63, reappeared and hugged his bass player to signal that he was too exhausted to play another note.

At the closing sellout performance Saturday, vocalist Jane Monheit so endeared herself to fans that half the crowd followed her after the performance to an unscheduled jam session inside the Discovery Cafe, down the hall from Gaines.

Yes, jazz enthusiasts are motivated. That's exactly what the city and university want.

And they want to prepare audiences for more performances like those last week, only in a new venue -- the CNU Center for the Performing Arts.

The center, which is in its first phase of construction, will offer multiple settings for great music, including great jazz: 200- and 500-seat theaters and, in the final phase, a 1,700-seat concert hall.

The money from Newport News enables CNU to afford world-class performers. It can attract a living encyclopedia of jazz like Tyner, or Monheit, 24, one of the hottest young stars to burst onto the music scene.

The main thrust of the Ella festival is music education. Last week Tyner and Monheit gave free clinics to student musicians and the public. CNU Jazz Ensemble members listened to Tyner with awe and accompanied him on the John Coltrane classic "Impressions," the jazz standard that Tyner first performed with Coltrane when Tyner was the same age as the CNU students.

The education component continues this week. The CNU music department is visiting about 20 Newport News elementary, middle and high schools to give concert/lectures. The students will hear the inspirational story of native daughter Ella Fitzgerald and learn about the elements of jazz, from scat singing to blues, bop and swing.

Many of these children will be part of the new audiences filling the future performing arts center.